Totally Normal

Everyone knows about the cravings, weight gain, stretch marks, and morning sickness associated with pregnancy. Other symptoms are so odd and down-right gross, no one talks about them! Thank god for the beloved girlfriends who tell you about other "lady parts" changing and the "mask of pregnancy" (dark patches on the forehead, cheeks, or upper lip - neat.).

Thankfully, I've somehow avoided most of the visible and disgusting symptoms (so far...) - but I've recently been introduced to some newbies:

• Unquenchable thirst - no matter how many jugs of water I consume throughout the day, I wake up around 4-5 a.m. every morning and need to chug a glass of water.
• Vivid dreams - about babies or Pauly D from Jersey Shore (and I thought Vinny was my favorite!)
• Runny nose - I now sound like a Dad blowing their nose every morning. You know what I'm talking about - the loud, "duck call" noise. Very ladylike!
• Hand numbness - like a kitten, I fold my wrists and sleep on my hands at night. Early on, I would have random spurts of hand numbness, now, even as I read before going to bed - the hand numbness kicks in.
• Swelling - thankfully, I've been able to avoid this (so far...) but with every soda or batch of fried food consumed, I typically wake up with a swollen face, hands and feet. It's a good incentive to avoid this junk.

With every odd symptom, there's a book or website there to remind you it's totally normal. Do you consume seven clementines daily? Normal! Can't stop crying at Guilanna & Bill's season finale? Normal! Have weird blue veins on your boobs? Normal! Experience bloody gums? Totally normal!